2012's Wonky Cachet of Bad Words

Every New Year’s Day, Lake Superior State University (LSSU) unveils its list of Banished Words. In honor of that roster — a tradition begun in 1975 by that school — we offer Hour Detroit’s fifth annual list of nominations for the word shredder. Look for the LSSU list at lssu.edu/banished.

LGBTQ. The growing alphabet of categories for sexuality. (Sounds like a deli order. Hold the lettuce?)

Craft Cocktail. Just call them mixed drinks. (Also, mixologist. Bartender is less pretentious.)

Baby Bump.

Matchy-matchy is as trite as the coordinated appearance it describes.

Gets it (or got it) as a synonym for understands.

Ahead of. Just say before.

One Percenters used as a blanket reference to upper-income people.

Mispronunciation of the prefix “ex” as “eggs.” For eggsample: eggscerpt or eggsorcism. Let’s eggstinguish this sloppy speech.

Mispronunciation of "Semitic" (as if it’s “Semetic,” with an “e.”)

Statistical dead heat in political races.

Look. This is the latest habit of TV/radio correspondents and talking heads. (NPR’s Cokie Roberts said it three times in one recent report.) It comes off as punitive and condescending.

Alongside. How about just with?

Devolve. This devolved into overuse.

“Hone in on.” It’s home in on; hone means to sharpen, as in honing one’s skills.

Grey. It’s spelled gray in this country. We’re not British.

Enthused, as in “He’s really enthused about it.” Enthusiastic is the adjective.

Confusing cache with cachet. The first is pronounced “cash,” and means a trove or stash. Cachet (pronounced cash-A) means prestige.

“Thank you in advance” is a business-letter affectation that assumes compliance.

Grab lunch. Almost as bad as the once-ubiquitous “do lunch.” “Grab” sounds barbaric.